Marriage Rules

"Come on, take your shirt off!"

It was Samuel Adams, who plays damn good live music on Tybee Island and is the founder of Bar Church. He breezed by as a man was on mission. I'm sitting in front of my computer for past three hours writing a business plan that will become the guts of numerous grants for an organization so it was time for a break.

He was already sitting in the warm January sunshine on the Beloved Back deck, long hair hanging around his shoulders, smiling at Fran's thousand shades of green who were gushing all over him.

Taking a seat, he flashed his million dollar smile and gave me a "High Five".

"What's Up?" he asked dripping with sincerity.

So I told him. It hadn't been the best of days, but I was somehow being productive anyway. Immediately he commencerated and told me that his had been a waste so far. "We're only given today anyway," he said giving me another High-Five.

As he did his cell phone buzzed. His cell phone is always buzzing and it reminded me of all of those years at Union Mission when mine never stopped. Now I mostly leave it on the counter and check it when I walk by. I'm no longer whipping it out like Gunslinger in the Old West before the first vibration has even had the change to cease.

"OK," Sam said. "We can do that. It'll be this afternoon."

Hanging up he explained that Bar Church is helping pay an electric bill for a waitress whose been sick and unable to work. A $300 Electric Bill would have her homeless in no time. "Pay the bill, the rent, food or the medicine?" are hard choices to make when you're sick. Luckily though, her daughters are school age so she can sleep while they are learning how to things differently.

"That OK?" Samuel asked in all seriousness.

"You kidding," I replied?

We High Fived again.

"Your Mom still want you to cut your hair," he laughed.

"Yep," I answered and we slapped hands yet again.

"Y'all still getting crazy mail?" he settled back again.

"I Corinthians 7:10 and 11," I said.

"ME TOO!" he laughed, shaking his head.

At a time when the early Christians were just getting started, St. Paul was pretty serious about the relatively small group staying bound together until Jesus could take over the world. They were far outnumbered by the Romans, Greeks, Jews, Pagans and those that didn't anything. Paul was one of those "safety-in-numbers" believers.

"We got to stick together gang," he told them. "So don't get divorced. Even if your husband is beating the shit out of you ... or your wife is emotionally torturing you ... stick it out for Jesus. It's more important to pretend like you're happy than it is to be happy. So ... 'a wife must not separate from her husband but if she does she must remain unmarried or reconcile with her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife'."

It ended being an excellent strategy for the growth of early Christianity. The numbers grew, not so much much because of the rules ... but because of the fact that God was willing to break them. Leaving heaven to dwell among us, not acting like a God at all ... spreading love and forgiveness all around ... even to whores and politicians.

Of course, St. Paul was single. What does he know about marriage?

Besides he thought the world was coming to an end at any moment. Why bother starting over again?

Samuel and I discussed these things then gave another High Five.

He grabbed my guitar and showed me the songs that he wants to do in Bar Church this Sunday.

His cell phone buzzed again. He took the call. Looking at me, rolling his eyes with a devilish grin, he stood and told me that he has to go.

"I promised Bob that I would take him to visit his son who's in jail. Poor Bob's not going to be here much longer and he can't drive anymore."

And he left.

Grabbing my guitar, I sat on the Beloved Back Deck and played Fran several songs. I said some prayers. And sun shone on me ... like it shines brilliantly on Samuel and the rest of us sinners and screw ups who get up and keep trying in spite of it ... or what others say to us about it.

In spite of miraculous accomplishments, St. Paul made rules.

God breaks them.